Erdogan says Turkey might enter Israel to help Palestinians

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey might enter Israel, similar to its past actions in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, to help Palestinians.

However, he did not specify the nature of the intervention.

In a recent speech, Erdogan praised Turkey's defense industry and addressed the ongoing Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"We must be very strong so that Israel can't do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do something similar," Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling AK Party in his hometown of Rize.

According to Reuters, Israel has not yet responded to Erdogan’s remarks, and attempts to seek clarification from AK Party representatives were met with silence.

Erdogan was referring to past events such as Turkey's deployment of troops to Libya in 2020 in support of the United Nations-backed government.

While Turkey denied direct intervention in Azerbaijan’s military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, it has admitted to providing “all means,” including troop training and technical support, to aid its key ally.

Erdogan, a staunch critic of Israeli policies, labelled Israel a terrorist state on November 25, 2023, and called for its officials to be tried for war crimes. 

He has also criticised other countries for failing to take strong action against Israel’s “genocidal policies.”

Turkey has ceased its trade with Israel due to being barred from transporting aid into the Gaza Strip, where thousands of civilians face a famine-like situation.

The Turkish foreign ministry stated that the ban will remain in place until a permanent ceasefire is achieved.

Prior to the ban, Turkey and Israel had robust economic ties, with a trade volume reaching $6.8 billion in 2023.